Weather:
Start: 60 degrees | 96% humidity | 5 MPH
Finish: 69-72 degrees | 69-75% humidity | 10 MPH

When I woke up, it looked like the weather forecast of early showers would be wrong. However, I peeked out the window again about 5:20 and the trees started violently shaking with the wind. And then as I watched, it started to pour. The rain was coming down in cascading sheets. "Well, this'll be fun," I thought. It continued to rain as we drove to the start line. Luckily, there was a parking garage to hang out in, so I was able to avoid getting soaked. I did have to venture out into the rain to go visit the porta-potty (no line - yay!) but my husband covered me with an umbrella and I managed to avoid stepping in the running water. I was feeling pretty nervous, and ended up making 3 trips out there. Luckily, by the 3rd trip, the rain had let up.

By the time I headed for the start, it wasn't raining at all. I did try to take care to not step in any puddles, as I wanted to avoid wet feet as much as possible. I didn't have a pace group to run with, but I found a 3:35 sign to line up near. I stretched a little, and tried to calm my nerves as I was feeling almost nauseous from them. Gradually more people filled in, and announcements started before the wheelchair racers were started. Finally the start gun was fired, and the slow shuffle to the line started.

I was able to start a jog just prior to the start line, and was able to start running after crossing it. I wanted to go out around 8:15, and checked my watch a few times to see if I was running around that pace. Somehow, I ended up ahead of the 3:30 pace group (the start area was divided into 2 lines/groups, and the 3:30 group was in the opposite group), and we crossed the first mile together. I ended up running near them for awhile; I wasn't checking my pace with the watch and was just going off of feel. I was pretty surprised to see mile 2 cross in 7:56 as I didn't feel as though I'd sped up any. We passed the first water station shortly after mile 2; I was unable to get any water which kind of frustrated me. There weren't enough tables/volunteers and a lot of people clustered up in front of the tables, effectively blocking anyone that didn't want to come to a complete stop.

I had better luck with the water stop after 4 miles, which was good since that was when I planned on taking my first gel. (1/2 packet of Vanilla-Orange Carb-Boom). I kept running along based on feel; I was really pleased with how easy my pace felt. I wasn't breathing hard at all, and felt really good. I did stop past the 6 mile marker to stretch briefly, but then resumed running along.

At some point, we turned east and into the sun. With the roads having been wet earlier, there was a horrible glare. I took gel at the water stop after mile 9, and 2 ibuprofen after mile 10. I also stopped after 10 to stretch my calves and ITB. Somewhere around the mile 11 mark, I was surprised to hear my husband's voice as I passed by. I had expected to see him later, so I hadn't been looking for him. I basically just waved back at him, as I'd already gone by.

Around 12.5 miles, things changed as my ITB started hurting. It had been a little achy earlier (probably from the harder surface of the roads), but it had been manageable up until then and everything else had felt good. I stopped and tried to stretch and massage it, which cost me some time. I got myself going again, although I did stretch again during the next mile. I was somewhat back on track for mile 15, but things went south from there. I had hoped my husband would be at mile 14 like we'd talked about before the race, as I thought I could ask him to go get my Stick from the car and meet me up the course. Unfortunately, he wasn't there.

Mile 16 was not a good mile, as I had to stop a few times to stretch. Mile 17 was worse, though. My leg was really tight, and I lost a lot of time for stretching and walking. I thought about dropping out, but I couldn't figure out how. I decided I'd try to get to 20, and make a decision there. Mile 17 was a turnaround, and coming back I was able to see how positioning of the pace groups. I still had a cushion over the 3:40 group, but I knew they were going to pass me soon.

I was able to run a little better after mile 17, but was slowed by the need to stretch and short walk breaks. I don't remember when the 3:40 group passed me, but I did almost cry at that point. I had spent the first half of the race in a really good mood, as I thought I might have a chance of making my far-reach goal of 3:40/BQ. Having the group go by was a harsh reminder that it wasn't going to happen that day.

Emotionally, around mile 20 was the hardest. The course was lined by people on both sides, and the crowds kind of narrow that section. It would've been exciting, except that I had hoped to see my husband. (The website had suggested parking in a spot where you could easily see miles 14 and 20, as well as the finish. We thought that sounded like a good idea). So as I ran past all the people, I was scanning the crowds for him (he had on a bright shirt, so he was easy to find in a crowd) but I never found him. I was so disappointed, but kept pushing on. I had reached 20 in less than 3 hours, and I knew I could at least break 4 hours (and PR) if I could manage at least 10 minute miles. So I decided to try my hardest to make that happen.

I let myself walk for 20 counts each mile (my counting is faster than seconds); re-starting was a little difficult, but my ITB wasn't as bad once I got going. I don't recall what happened in mile 22; I either took a longer stretching break or walked a little extra on a hill. The miles kept passing by; one thing that surprised me was how ugly the last few miles were. I had seen a lot of walking during my previous marathons, but had just assumed I wouldn't see as much of it with the sub-4 runners. I'm sure a lot of it was due to the heat and humidity, because it was getting pretty nasty out there, but it was still a surprise. I hadn't drank anything other than water, but did get a cup of Powerade at the last stop after I felt all the salt on my face. I knew it wasn't going to make much of a difference at that point, but it did taste really good.

My favorite part was when the finish line came into sight, and seeing 3 still on the clock. I managed to pick up my pace for that last bit, excited to be done and have finally broken 4. I got a bottle of Powerade from a volunteer and drank it extremely fast while watching more people finish. I've never actually watched anyone finish a marathon before, so that was kind of cool. After a few minutes, I then went to pick up my medal and have my chip removed. Shortly after that, my husband called out to me from the sidelines. He gave me my flips flops and as I changed into them, I found out why he hadn't been able to see me run. (It's a long story, but as he wasn't the one driving the car, it wasn't his fault and I'm not mad at him). Once my shoes were off, I was able to see that I'd collected a bunch of blisters.

So I shuffled over to the medical tent, to see if they would do something about them. I was told that they wouldn't drain my blisters, but did put band-aids over them to protect them as I walked around. I had blisters on my 4th toe on the right foot, and on my 2nd, 3rd and 4th toes on the left foot. (I found a 5th blister on the right foot pinkie toe on Monday night). From the medical tent, I went to collect my finisher's shirt and browse the merchandise tent.

My next stop was the food tent, which was a great disappointment. I was given 2 bags of bagels upon entering the tent, which was okay. But the pickings from there were pretty sparse. The man ahead of me picked up the last banana; there didn't appear to be any more in sight. I don't know if I looked dismayed or if he didn't really want the banana, but he offered it to me. I said it was okay, but he offered it again so I took it. I was really grateful to him, because that's the only food I ate from the tent. I wasn't interested in the peanut butter crackers, and the only other food item was some kind of meat thing. So that was a huge disappointment - I really did expect better/more post-race food from a big marathon. There were booths with food for sale, and I did get a cookie, but I think the food should be free for runners. I was also disappointed that I was unable to find water or powerade past the finish line.

I don't feel I've done a very good job capturing/summing up this race. Without knowing the area, it's hard to remember what happened when. But the thing that is going to stick with me is the difference between the first half and the second half. I ran slightly faster than I had planned for the first half, but it felt so comfortable and right and I do not think it was a mistake. The second half was hard, with the ITB pain, some muscle cramping and frustration. But what I'm proud of is that I stuck it out. As I said in my post-race moblog, this was one of the ugliest PR races I've run. And while it's not the way I planned to break 4 hours, I'm glad that I was finally able to do it. I also believe that once I get my ITB issues under control, I'll be able to maintain the first half pace for the entire race.

1 | 8:10
2 | 7:56 | 16:06
3 | 8:18 | 24:25
4 | 8:05 | 32:30
5 | 8:10 | 40:40
6 | 7:59 | 48:40
10K | 50:34
7 | 8:33 | 57:13
8 | 8:06 | 1:05:20
9 | 8:01 | 1:13:21
10 | 8:06 | 1:21:27
11 | 8:28 | 1:29:56
12 | 8:13 | 1:38:09
13 | 9:12 | 1:47:22
13.1 | 1:48:20
14 | 08:55 | 1:56:18
15 | 08:35 | 2:04:53
16 | 09:36 | 2:14:30
17 | 10:44 | 2:25:15
18 | 09:22 | 2:34:37
19 | 09:51 | 2:44:28
20 | 09:47 | 2:54:16
21 | 09:39 | 3:03:56
22 | 10:43 | 3:14:39
23 | 09:32 | 3:24:11
24 | 09:49 | 3:34:01
25 | 10:09 | 3:44:11
26 | 09:59 | 3:54:11
26.2 | 1:38 | 3:55:50

Chip time: 3:55:50 | 9:00/mi.